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They wouldn't be for me. I have put up Martin houses for the last twenty years. I have read books, chatted online, tried every kind of house, three different locations, trimmed trees, decoys, traps, baited, provided nesting material, fought the starlings and sparrows, and have never had one martin take up residence.
well maybe this year...
Bill

I posted this same question on another forum 7 years ago when I got started in beekeeping. I was told that , no, purple martins should not be a problem with bees. I have heard of Eastern flycatchers being a problem though.
As for attracting swllows, it's my understanding they are more likely to take up residence if there is something like a large pond nearby. They love to skim over the top of the water for bugs.
Denise

I've had both Purple Martins and bees for the last 10 years and haven't experienced any problems. My Purple Martin house is about 40 yards away from my hives - I've never noticed them chasing bees (or vice-versa). [Now hummingbird feeders are another problem!...especially in August and the honey flow is finished]

I have watched, on more than one ocassion purple martins flying back and forth in front of my hives. What they were doing is pure speculation, how ever the didnt seem to do it often enough or long enough to cause me any worry, but I do watch for this. If I do sence a problem, it wont be hard to stop...

I dont have a marten house, I put up a couple of blue bird houses, and got martins.... go figure.

I have a neighbor down the road who wants me to come take down one of Martin gourds that is inhabited by a colony of bees. He has two Martin "trees" with about 12 gourds per tree and has them on hinges so they can be taken down easily. I still don't know exatly what to do with a gourd full of bees. I plan to wrap them in a feed sack at dusk and cut the wire on the gourd, bring them home and put the gourd into an empty hive body with some frames of comb. I hop ethey'll migrate out of the gourd into the frames.

I remember blue tits popping the tops of milk bottles when I was a kid. I find great tits will take bees from hive entrances; I had a nest ten yards from my hives last summer, and I think bees must have been the staple diet to judge from the number of raids going on. I don't mind too much though, because they take so many less desirable insects round the year.